Lightning sign Johnson to three-year contract

NHL.com

Lightning sign Johnson to three-year contractTyler Johnson signed a new three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Financial terms of the contract were not released.

Tyler Johnson signed a new three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Financial terms of the contract were not released, but Elliotte Friedman of the CBC reports it's worth $10 million.

Johnson could have become a restricted free agent this summer.

The 23-year-old forward was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the League's top rookie after finishing first among rookies with 24 goals this season, and his 50 points were third. He had a plus-23 rating, was one of three rookies to play all 82 games, and his average ice time of 18:47 per game was tops among all rookie forwards to play at least 30 games.

In 96 NHL games in the past two seasons, Johnson has 27 goals and 56 points.

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft